Scrawny Little Boy
by Kittiecat248
Summary: He belonged there as much as any of them did.


**Author's note: This originally started as a fanfiction as why Peter was a member of the Marauders, but I hit a road block with that. I came up with this random idea last night, and decided to write about it. This is my first Harry Potter fanfiction, and my fourth in general, so, well…meh. You can be the judge. I actually like flames. They help my writing.**

**Oh, and I also find it important to note that this does NOT mean that I like Peter the most. I just wanted to make him sort of seem as someone who was not so out of place with the Marauders, and actually had a special talent, but that failed epically, so instead, we have this Peter. Read and see. :)**

**Another note: I haven't read Harry Potter since fifth grade, and all the things I know about it come from fanfics. Please kindly point out to me if something is wrong and I will fix it. Thanks.**

**Disclaimer: You don't even want to know what I'd do with all the money if Harry Potter belonged to me.**

_First year_

Alright. So maybe he was a reject. Maybe he was a tad bit on the short side and was scrawny. However, did that really give them the right to make fun of him the way to Hogwarts by poking him with a stick? He wasn't an animal exhibition, for Merlin's sake. Those boys, who were definitely going to be sorted in to Slytherin, sniggered shrilly. Why was his way of speaking so funny? All he did was stutter here and there. Okay, maybe he stuttered every two words, but that still didn't give them the right.

And when the door to the compartment banged open, Peter Pettigrew witnessed the best thing he had ever laid his eyes on.

And that 'thing' went by the name of James Potter.

_Second year_

Now with Sirius Black in the group, the Marauders became a tight four person crowd. Black, Lupin, Potter and Pettigrew, four names that would always be remembered throughout the history of Hogwarts, as James had always said. Though, Peter would've been a lot happier if it were just Remus, James and him. He didn't trust Black, though he played it otherwise. The Gryffindor Black was always staring at him too long, his gaze cool and calculating.

And plus, with his family history, he shouldn't be trusted. And _he_ had met James first! Why was it that a spy could suddenly outdo him and rise to become James's best friend? It was first year all over again. It was almost as if Black was mocking him for being too scrawny to be James's friend.

One day, when no one was looking, Black was going to pay.

And until that day came, he, Peter Pettigrew, would have to endure long hours of taunts as Black continued to humiliate him.

_Third year_

_He_ was the first one to discover Lupin's mysterious disappearances each month. Not James, and certainly not Black. The two of them were too engrossed in pranking Slytherins to notice that their friend wasn't in the library studying as he claimed to be. Peter himself wasn't as airheaded as everyone said he was.

So he goes through all the hard work of figuring out what Remus really is, and he rushes to tell James about his discovery. Just James, though Black eavesdrops and just blows him off. James, however, thinks it's a possible scenario, and Black reluctantly helps to investigate. At the end, however, what does he tell Remus? That he and James figured it out.

Of course he did. Always claiming all the credit. Now even James was starting to get annoying. His ego didn't know any bounds, and the attention was clearly getting too much for him. He was no longer like the James Potter that had saved him the first day on the train. He was turning in to Sirius Black II.

Now, his only true companion was Remus, but it hurt him even more that the werewolf sometimes preferred books over him.

He was shrinking in the background, and he didn't like it. He was a Marauder, for God's sake! He was supposed to be bathed in attention as well. James, the famous Quidditch hero. Black, the family reject, but still loved for his good looks. Remus, the mysterious boy who studied hard and spent hours in the library. All of them got good grades and were loved by everyone in the school.

And what was he?

Peter Pettigrew, scrawny, chubby little boy who couldn't receive a decent grade to save his life.

And he was always dead last.

_Fourth year_

The animagus year, as the other Marauders would remember it by. But really, there was something much more important than becoming an animagus. It was quite boring, though it was the first time Peter had seen Black even pick up a book. It was mass studying and researching, which Black refused to let him do, because of his previous records. He had sulked, and when the time of transformation came, Black had laughed straight out in his face, and though James had comforted him, he could sense that Potter was itching to burst out as well.

What the heck was wrong with being a rat? Maybe not everyone liked to be all big and strong like James and Black. Not everyone had a choice. He didn't see the two of them laughing at Remus.

Animagus aside, fourth year was the best year that Peter Pettigrew had at Hogwarts.

It was the year he met Lily Evans.

_Fifth year_

Peter was bursting with anger. He had met Lily first, had chatted with her first, and now suddenly all of the Marauders were focusing their attention on her? Couldn't they let him have his own _real_ friends for once? Remus was suddenly spending mass amount of time studying with her, James had suddenly proclaimed himself to be in love with her, and Sirius followed her around, relaying messages to her from James.

And what's more, Lily was starting to pay less attention to him, as everyone did once the other Marauders came. He was starting to fade away as the little scrawny kid in the background again. And no, he was not going to have that happen again.

And then he made the boldest move he had ever made in his life.

He asked Lily out.

And was promptly punched in the face by James who 'happened' to be coming around the corner.

Peter never stopped glaring at Black, who was whistling innocently, as if he hadn't just ratted him out.

_Sixth year_

They were using him. The only reason they still kept him around was because of the fact that he was small enough to help them with the Whomping Willow. He was starting to lose interest in going with them on their monthly runs. Black had even told Snivellus about the Whomping Willow, going as far as nearly getting the Slytherin killed, and James and Remus only manage to stay mad at him for a month? Oh, of course, because they were precious little _friends_. Of course. Well, then, he wouldn't even go on the monthly runs then. He would stay in the common room and talk all night with Lily.

He had asked her out again, but she had refused, her eyes darting nervously. He had assured her that no James Potter was going to be flying out of the corner to punch him, and she nodded, though still appearing nervous.

Why was she rejecting him then? Was she going out with Snivellus?

_Seventh year_

WHY her, why him, why now? Why did Lily Evans have to finally agree to go out with James Potter? How was he better than Peter? Lily had said it herself. He was an arrogant toe-rag that had an ego that knew no bounds. Why did she choose him then?

And with that, Peter's life at Hogwarts came to a close. He had made friends, and fallen in love, all of which he lost now. James still thought that Peter asking Lily out was a joke, and as did Lily, when Peter hastily explained it two days before the two of them had been caught snogging in the common room. Now, Peter regretted it. Maybe if he hadn't said that, James would have punched him again and Lily would be given the job of taking care of him.

Now, there was no hope. He would never, ever be happy again. They had robbed him of all his happiness.

And they would pay.

**Reviews lighten up my day greatly.**


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